Veteran right-hander Jake Westbrook can continue a career resurgence in start No. 3 of 2012 tonight when the St. Louis Cardinals return to PNC Park for the second game of a three-game weekend series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Westbrook, a 34-year-old Georgian who made his major-league debut 12 years ago with the New York Yankees, was 12-9 in 33 starts last season - his first full year with the St. Louis Cardinals.
He split 2010 with the Cleveland Indians and Cardinals and went 10-11. Previously, he had not reached double-digit wins since claiming 15 victories with Cleveland back in 2006.
In two starts thus far in April he's allowed just one earned run in two outings, tossing 14 innings while allowing just seven hits and holding opposition batters to a stingy .146 average.
St. Louis has won both his starts, defeating Cincinnati and Chicago while outscoring their foes, 17-4.
Westbrook is 0-3 in eight career meetings with Pittsburgh.
For the Pirates, 31-year-old righty Kevin Correia also makes his third start of the season after two strong outings.
The San Diego native has given up just two runs in 12 innings on seven hits while getting a no-decision and a win at Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The Pirates lost to the Dodgers but beat the Giants and have scored only five runs in Correia's two outings - compared to the Cardinals' barrage in Westbrook's outings.
He is 2-3 in 13 career games against St. Louis.
In Friday's opener, Lance Lynn tossed seven strong innings and scored the go- ahead run for St. Louis as the Cardinals took a 4-1 victory.
Lynn (3-0) allowed two hits and a run, on an inside-the-park homer from Alex Presley in the first inning, but stifled the Pirates over the next six, yielding just two hits the rest of the way while fanning four.
"He just looked in control," said St. Louis manager Mike Matheny about Lynn. "He settled down (after the first) and found his groove and didn't really look back."
Jason Motte worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth to record his third save of the year. Carlos Beltran tallied two hits and knocked in a run and Daniel Descalso added a solo shot for St. Louis, which has won five of six.
Pittsburgh's Charlie Morton (0-1) surrendered two runs - one earned - on four hits and three walks in a five-inning start.
St. Louis was 9-7 versus the Pirates last season.
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